Gl'Adelaide We Came

With a trio of tremendous wine regions and other tempting treats at every turn, South Australia is a dangerously enchanting place to linger.  Needless to say, we've loved every moment of our time here.

Maggie Beer's Kitchen

Exploring Australia’s Little Cornwall

With its copper mining legacy, lime kilns and shipwrecks anyone would think you were in Cornwall, UK.  In fact, the Yorke Peninsula boasts a rich Cornish heritage from the influx of Cornish miners and even hosts the largest Cornish festival outside of Cornwall. Every bakery on the peninsula sells pasties, which reminded us of our holidays back home.

Above:  Disused Lime Kiln at Wool Bay

Below:  Wonderful Street Art in Stansbury

There are plenty of amazing walking trails on the Yorke.  Just like the Grand Old Duke himself, we marched up them hills and back down again.  Innes National Park was our favourite with its beautiful, wild coastline and fascinating abandoned gypsum mining villages, which are now home to thousands of emus that have claimed the place as their own.

Above and Below:  Disused Gypsum Mine at Innes

Above:  Rugged Yorke Coastline

Below:  Emus everywhere!

Red Devil

On the Yorke, we camped in a little town called Minlaton.  Its most famous resident is ace pilot Captain Harry Butler who as a twenty-six-year-old paid his own way to England in 1916 to join the Royal Flying Corps and within months was flying over France. He was awarded the Air Force Cross but returned to Australia after receiving a head wound in active service. He made his way back to the Yorke Peninsula with his "Red Devil" believed to be the only Bristol M.1C Military Monoplane from a World War 1 limited edition of 1918 left in the world.

Word of the Week – “Cheers”

Not too far from the arid, golden fields of wheat and barley on the Yorke Peninsula, we found ourselves amongst the verdant vineyards of the Clare Valley.  We settled on a charming, family-operated caravan park in Leasingham, cozily situated between Claymore Wines and O’Leary Wines along the Riesling Trail.  How very handy!  Top Tip – if you are the last patron at a wine tasting, and mention you are camping next door, there is a good chance they will invite you to take all the opened tasting bottles off their hands.  Of course, we were happy to oblige.

The line up of wine tasting freebies.  Can you tell the vigneron loved his rock music!

From Clare to McLaren Vale and onto Barossa, the word "Cheers" became a well-used word.

Epic Relic

While exploring the Clare region, we stopped by the historic town of Burra and found out that a modest ruin just 3km outside the town is said to be Australia's most photographed derelict house. It gained fame as the iconic album cover for Midnight Oil's "Diesel and Dust."

The old relic standing in front of the old relic 

Indulging in Adelaide

During our stay in Adelaide, we toured the Haigh Chocolate Factory, Pirate Life Brewery, and indulged in carb-rich treats in Hahndorf, Australia's oldest German settlement. Conscious of the calorie intake, we offset our sins with lengthy walks in the city and in Belair National Park, where we camped.  Whilst the Fresh Prince was nowhere to be seen in Belair, we spotted heaps of koalas.  

Above:  It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas at Glenelg Beach

Below:  Steve's favourite kind of Christmas Tree at Pirate Life Brewing

From Belair, we ventured further south to the Fleurieu Peninsula and camped beside a herd of goats at the Moo Gin Distillery near Victor Harbor.

You've goata be kidding.  This cutie loved watching me peel my carrots

Critter of the Week – Clydesdale Horse

The horse-drawn trams at Victor Harbor have been a charming feature for visitors to Granite Island since 1894. Although hauling up to 50 passengers on a double-decker tram may seem like tough work for such gentle creatures, the trams glide smoothly on steel rails with roller bearings. The Clydesdales are treated well, working on a fair shift system with top notch employment conditions. Nevertheless, keen to beat hit some more walking goals, we hoofed it over to Granite Island under our steam.

Marvellous McLaren Vale Meet Up

Another day, another wine region, but the standout moment in McLaren Vale was reuniting with my friend and former colleague from my Pandora days, Sally.  It's been 6 years since Sally and I last met, so we had plenty of news to share.  Sally is loving her life in Adelaide, and I can see why.  Catching up with her was an absolute joy and I'm so happy we managed to squeeze in chat and a hug.

Sally and Mhairi catching up at Port Noarlunga

Beautiful Barossa

No trip through South Australia is truly finished without a stop in the Barossa Valley. We set up camp right beside a cricket pitch, meticulously cared for by the local Rotary Club.  $10 donation - bargain! In under a day, we managed to fit in tours of two wineries in Tanunda and Greenock, a brewery, and the best bit - Maggie Beer's Farm Shop for some delectable burnt fig and honey ice cream.

Chateau Tanunda

Meanwhile Back at Camp 

The Holway 'Round has introduced us to a diverse array of "amenities," but nothing quite says 'rustic charm' like a horse-box turned shower room, complete with a grimy curtain that's seen better days. Glamping - it was not.  It's moments like these that I miss my home comforts!